Eating a sloppy hamburger while driving might be putting more than your car’s upholstery at risk.

An American insurance company investigated the hazards of eating and driving after reviewing an insurance claim where a driver had received a “restraining order” against having anything edible within his reach.

The driver apparently had suffered numerous ‘food related’ accidents, prompting Hagerty Classic Insurance to research which foods are the most hazardous when driving.

They discovered that the messier the food, the bigger the distraction.

Hazardous foods were the ones that could cause the most mess. The top 10 problem foods included chocolate, fried chicken, fizzy drinks, burgers, filled donuts, barbecued food, anything containing ‘chilli’ (that peculiarly American mess of sloppy mince), tacos and hot soup.

The number one hazardous edible substance was coffee. Coffee spills were considered the worst because drivers try to make instant clean-ups while still driving. Hot coffee can also cause serious burns which obviously isn’t good for your concentration!